Environmental pollution, maternal residence and low birth weight

Case-control study, which aimed to analyze the risk factors associated with low birth weight of newborns of mothers from Rio Grande-RS that resided in the proximities of the industrial area. Mothers that gave birth in the maternities of the municipality were interviewed during the months of April to November of 2003. The sample comprehended 138 cases and 409 controls. It was performed the bivariate and multivariate statistical analysis. The Low Birth Weight (LBW) maintained itself positively associated with previous stillborns, previous LBWs, the presence of arterial hypertension during the pregnancy, and the threat of abortion during the current pregnancy. It was possible to identify the main factors of risk to which pregnant women are exposed and that interfere with birth weight of their children, which are in addition to those resulting from a greater exposure to pollutants, because they live near the industries.